The Role of Social Media in Empowering Tribal Women to Combat Human Trafficking: A Sociological Study of North Gujarat Tribal Region

Abstract

Human trafficking remains a severe socio-economic challenge in India, disproportionately affecting tribal women due to systemic marginalization, poverty, and lack of awareness. This study examines the transformative role of social media in empowering tribal women in the North Gujarat tribal region—particularly in districts like Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, and Aravalli—to resist and combat human trafficking. Through a sociological lens, the research explores how platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube are not only spreading awareness but also enabling collective action, reporting mechanisms, and access to legal aid and support networks. The study employs qualitative and quantitative methodologies including interviews, focus group discussions, and digital ethnography with tribal women, NGOs, and local authorities. It highlights that digital literacy and online networks are gradually fostering a sense of agency and resistance among tribal women. Social media, when supported by grassroots initiatives and state policy, emerges as a potential weapon in the fight against trafficking (Kaur, 2020; George & Sreelekha, 2022). This study offers insights for policymakers, social workers, and digital rights activists seeking to utilize technology for social justice and gender empowerment in tribal areas.